


Five (+ 1) compliments

by ClaraCivry (Kat_Of_Dresden)



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Gen, Happy, Number Five | The Boy-centric, Post-Apocalypse, Sibling Love, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:47:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25773082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kat_Of_Dresden/pseuds/ClaraCivry
Summary: Five was never good at receiving compliments, at hearing good things about himself. Which wasn't really a problem, since no one ever liked him much.This is five compliments he received and didn't believe and one he actually believed.
Relationships: Number Five | The Boy & The Hargreeves (Umbrella Academy)
Comments: 17
Kudos: 567





	Five (+ 1) compliments

Five never received many compliments. When he was a kid, his dad thought him too arrogant, so not only he didn't say anything nice to him ever, but he made sure that no one else complimented him either, for his own good. Not to feed on his flaws.

Then he spent the biggest chunk of his life alone, with no one to speak to him. The fact that it was his pig-headedness that had landed him in that wasteland made any good thing said about him stupid and unimportant. When Dolores tried to tell him not to be so hard on himself he brushed her off, because she too must know that really, he should be even harder than that. He deserved it. 

They praised him to no end in the commission, but Five could see it for what it really was: a tactic to manipulate him, to ensare him, to get him to "like" being in the commission and his co-workers and employers. But the compliments were empty, most people there feared him or resented him, and he could see him for what they really were: lies, to try and keep him happy and in place. 

So yeah, sad as it may be, Five had learnt never to trust kind words, no matter who they came from. But after saving the world... Things got tricky. 

i. 

He hadn't had music in the apocalypse, and had missed it horribly. Even when did find a vinyl or CD, there was nowhere to play it, and no electricity. And after a while, even the memories of songs fade away, leaving you with monotone thoughts, always in the same key. 

So, after coming back, and trying to find hobbies to distract himself from what he'd done and who he'd become before saving the world, Five asked Vanya for some violin classes, to feel closer to music, be able to make it himself if the world ended again, and maybe, through it, metabolize some of his many traumas and inner conflicts. 

He'd been afraid of being terrible at it (he was always a more exact sciences kind of guy, and there was nothing exact about art) but he was actually a fairly quick learner, and was, according to Vanya, advancing in mere weeks what other people needed years to accomplish. 

"But I don't know why I'm surprised" she said, an awe-struck look in her eye. "You were always so talented."

And Five didn't know what to do with that. Calling someone talented was a huge compliment, especially coming from an accomplished musician as Vanya, and he... What reason could she have to say that? What hidden agenda? 

Five found himself speechless, not knowing how to act what to say. So he just focused on the sheet music, told himself that it was actually a very basic song, and tried to ignore the odd feeling in his chest. She didn't mean it. Couldn't. 

ii. 

Dad hadn't been kind to Five, no matter what he claimed after he disappeared. Dad wanted their house to be lived under an iron rule, and Five felt he was above rules, so they clashed. There had been punishments, and occasional beatings. Sometimes his room reminded him too much of that. 

So he crashed, when allowed, in Diego's little boiler room home, that contained no awful memories of half-remembered child abuse. It maybe less comfortable and smaller, but sometimes Five felt safer there. 

But the fact was that Diego still had many enemies from his vigilante times - and he didn't live in some fortified fortress. Sometimes people got in. 

One particular night, the Fentons, a family of drug dealers who hated Diego with a passion, came inside his room while he was sleeping, with silenced guns and deadly intentions. But Diego only caught the end of it. The end where Five jumped in front of the Fenton's muscle man, gun pointed at his chest and disarmed him with punches in the throat, chest, groin, and skull. The man fell, and Five fell to his knees too, breathing heavily, hair every which way. 

That was when Diego saw the other three Fenton men, unconscious and with guns and material to dispose of Diego's body. 

"Shit, Five. You really are a fucking... a great asset, aren't you?"

Five didn't say much. 

"We should get them out." 

They did. Fenton was not going to be happy, but they would deal with that some other day. 

As it turned out, one of those hitmen had grazed one of Five's arms, and Diego took out his first aid kit to patch up his brother. It wasn't a big gash, but it spoke about the closeness of danger - about how near had been Five from those bullets. 

"You really are a gutsy son of a bitch, aren't you?" 

Five narrowed his eyes. 

"And what exactly do you mean by that?"

"It means I think you're really brave, Five. It's a compliment. Take it."

But Five refused to. 

Diego was just mistaking gratitude for something else. He would go back to hating his smallest brother in no time. 

iii. 

Luther was trying to distract himself and... develop his mindframe beyond what dad used to tell him. He wanted to know more, break free from the strict rules of his dad, while still being a leader, someone that could guide his family and any other groups he joined. 

So he took up playing chess, after many years. They said it helped you develop an strategic mind, to figure out different ways to get out of bad places, solutions, ways to beat his enemies. Ways to have a more creative mind. 

And he eventually became fairly good at it, so much so that he felt he had become the best chess player in the house. He beat Vanya, he beat Diego in a heartbeat and with some effort he beat Ben too. 

"At least I'm number one in this." he said, proud. Ben raised an eyebrow. 

"You think? You ever played with Five?"

He hadn't, but Luther was confident in his abilities. Yeah, Five was smart, but he hadn't practised as much as him. He could beat Five too. 

Only he couldn't. 

Chess with Five lasted less than five minutes. Sometimes less than two. Luther thought the most different, the most original strategies and yet Five, without the least bit of effort, managed to beat his ass. Even after Luther had researched for hours Five's style, even after all his effort- no matter what he did, Five was always seven, ten steps ahead of him. 

"Damn man, "Luther said, after being beaten again. "I forgot how damn smart you were."

"Maybe it's you who is a bit slow, Luther"

"No, dude, I beat Ben the other day, and we both know he's not dumb. You're just... beyond. Probably one of those geniuses, if you bothered to be tested, huh?"

Five didn't like where the conversation was going. 

He disappeared, claiming he needed some coffee. 

He wasn't a genius, they were all just too dumb. 

Right? 

iv. 

Ben had been one of his favourite people when they were both alive and kids. 

He was calm but not boring, strong but not too rash. He was gentle in a way that Five wished he could be, and level-headed in a way none of them were. So they were enjoying this reunion. 

They talked about literature, about philosophy, about the ethical implications of their powers and what they'd done. It was great to actually have someone with whom he could really talk about the world and what they'd been through in depth. He hadn't given it that much thought, Five, but Ben never had much trouble expressing his feelings. He was open like that. 

"I missed this like you can't imagine, Five. As much as I love Klaus... You're just... So knowledgeable, you know? Between you and me, you are the most interesting person in the family, and I'm really really glad to have you back."

This... This was different. Hearing that. 

When the handler had complimented him, it hadn't meant anything. Apart from knowing it was a manipulation tactic, he hadn't cared that much about what she said. Her opinion didn't matter. She didn't matter. 

But Ben... Ben was someone whose opinion he respected, Ben was someone intelligent and important, and Five had no idea at all of how to react to someone he cared being so kind. Calling him interesting, of all things. After being so alone for so long, only hearing dad's words in his head, calling him pig-headed and arrogant... 

Ben thought he was interesting. Intelligent. Knowledgeable. 

Five asked Ben his opinion on another book he'd recommended. Brushed it off. 

If he thought that his family actually... if they... no. He was arrogant, he was awful. 

The moment he thought anything else he would destroy his life, and everyone else's. He couldn't believe it. 

Wouldn't. 

v. 

Claire loved Five. 

Lo lo loved him. He was her fun sized incle, and the bestest of all of them. Diego was too gruff, Luther plain old scared her and Vanya was too boring. But Five... 

After being treated like a kid and hating it, Five didn't treat Claire like a small child, but a "lady with limited life experience", as he said. He helped her with school work in a way that made her understand everything, and when they played house or imagined they were knights and queens who fought against dragons he always had the most fun and original stories. 

(A side effect of endless apocalpypse days was the developing of an infinite and vast imagination, to try and get away from the shitty reality he was stuck in)

And so one day, when she came back, there was an assignment from Claire's class in which she had to draw and explain someone she admired- And it was a certain someone with black hair, big blue eyes and a lopsided smile. 

"This is my uncle Five." she explained. "Yes, his name is like the number, don't mock. He's the smartest person I know, and he's super brave too. He saved all of us, including my mum and my dad and everyone else. And he always helps me with schoolwork and gives me nice answers to mean people and insults. He's the best and when I'm older I want to be as smart and great as him."

Allison didn't know exactly how to feel about that. 

They had all been slightly conditioned to hate Five when they were kids, apparently not to make him even more arrogant. And then he disappeared and Allison felt she hadn't made an effort to get to know him, to be more her sister. And then he had come back and he'd been so cocky... 

But Claire could see beyond their father's mean words and manipulating ways, and she saw that Five was much more than just a "mouthy little shit". She saw that he actually cared, and than in his cutting way... He was there to help everyone. Allison was glad to know this, glad to have found out. 

"She likes you more than me, Five." She said, one day that they were making breakfast. 

Five frowned. 

"And so.. . You're not going to let me see her any more because of that?"

"No! Really, Five, not everything is an attack!"

She looked at the drawing, much more detailed than anyone else's even if the proportions were a bit off. 

"I'm glad that there's someone in her family that she likes. And I'm... Five, I feel like I've been unfair to you. Now and when we were kids. I didn't see past the rude comments and the cold... well, the cold everything. But you're a good brother, and a great uncle, and we're lucky to have you back around. It probably wouldn't kill you to be a tiny bit nicer to everyone... But still. I'm happy you're around. And I'm happy Claire has such a... strong, smart character as a referent."

"She's a great kid." 

Deflect, deflect, always deflect. 

"And so are you, old man."

No. 

That wasn't deflecting. 

Stop it, Allison. 

Stop it. 

\+ 1

Five was quite tipsy, Klaus had had just a laughing fit, Ben had started coughing despite not being a corporeal person because it just had been so fun. They had all forgotten just how witty Five could be, the connections his mind made... 

And sometimes, those connections were really fucking hilarious. 

"Ah, Five, honestly, man, I love you."

And there was something so honest in Klaus' eyes and Five didn't know... if maybe... 

"... do you mean that? Klaus, do you really mean that?"

"Of course I do! You are an absolute delight to be around under that cranky old man facade, and I absolutely adore spending time with you, my dearest Fivest brother."

Klaus smiled. Klaus meant it. It was all maybe too much. 

Maybe he was actually deserving of nice things, like compliments. Maybe he could lower his guard. And maybe... Maybe he wasn't some irredeemable monster that would condemn humanity if he liked himself again. 

"Thanks, Klaus. That's nice to hear."

"I only speak the truth! Now, who's coming with to get some black been juice aka café, huh? Nummer Fünf?"

Five smiled. 

Maybe dad was wrong. 

Maybe from now on... 

He could be liked, he could be loved. 

Start again - and stop hearing his dead voice in his head, calling him arrogant and a disappointment. 

And substitute it for Claire's, for Klaus', for Ben's. 

People that knew him, and yet, appreciated him. 

A small miracle. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Everyone is so mean to Five in canon, I wanted some niceness. Also Claire lovong him. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> You know you want to comment!!


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